People would think it was a joke, saying things like, 'You sound like a Spice Girl.' It was hard, because I was really struggling. I have come to terms with the fact I might sound like this forever. I realise it's part of me now.

Some people think it's physiological; others think it's psychological. People like me — we don't care which one it is. We just really want to be taken seriously and if it is something that's going to hurt me, help me.